John Singer Sargent: The Watercolors
March 1, 2014
— May 25, 2014

"Prepare for bedazzlement." —New York Times

John Singer Sargent: The Watercolors offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see 100 gorgeous watercolors by Gilded Age American master John Singer Sargent (1856–1925). Fabulous early-20th-century scenes of landscape, labor, and leisure highlight Sargent’s exquisite mastery of the medium of watercolor, in which he was unsurpassed.

This expansive exhibition unites, for the first time, the two most significant collections of his watercolor paintings: holdings from the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Brooklyn and Boston collections were purchased by the two museums (in 1909 and 1912, respectively) directly from Sargent’s only two American watercolor exhibitions, at the Knoedler Gallery in New York.

Representing Sargent’s departure from the commissioned portraits that made him famous, the compositions in this exhibition were painted in Greece, Italy, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Syria. The subjects include scenes of Mediterranean sailing vessels, villa gardens, marble quarries, fountains, gondoliers at work, and one of Venice’s greatest churches, as well as explorations of sunlight and shadow.

In-Gallery Extra: Audio Tour
Enhance your exhibition experience and learn more about the artwork on view. You may purchase the optional audio tour at the admissions desks.